School, Solar and Sewer Plans Win Council Approval

Three-and-a-half hours into a lengthy Town Council meeting Monday night, resident Sara Howard delivered remarks on the proposed elementary school rebuild. TOWN OF SOUTHINGTON VIDEO SCREENSHOTS

An epic, four-and-half-hour long meeting of Southington’s Town Council ended late Monday night with a series of votes that pushed several proposals involving the school system, solar parking canopies and the Sewer Department one step closer to implementation.

Elementary School Rebuild

The meeting began with an official celebration of hometown Olympian Austin Florian’s success on the skeleton course at the recent Winter Olympics. After that, representative Patrick Gallagher from MP Planning Group delivered a presentation on the elementary school rebuilding plan similar to the one recently given to the Board of Education, save for a slight decrease in the town’s estimated contribution.

This was the first chance that members of Town Council had to ask questions about the project in a formal setting. Councilors Chris Palmieri and Kristen Guida asked what the downsides would be if the referendum was postponed until November in order to give the public more time to learn about details. John Koplas from Colliers Project Leaders replied that a delay mainly risked increasing the project’s cost by four or five percent.

Some three hours later, when it came time for public comment, three residents, all parents of children at Flanders School, stepped up to the podium to urge Council members to vote against the current plan. Each stressed their agreement that the town’s three oldest elementary schools need upgrades, but all argued that the plan as presented lacks crucial details and was developed without sufficient community input or adequate transparency.

Sara Howard, head of the Flanders PTO, called on the Council to “invest in their constituents” by communicating better about the details of the plan and explaining, for instance, what problems would result if the proposal failed at referendum.

The motion that the Council voted on Monday would advance the process but did not constitute its final decision on the matter. It would allow a public hearing on the project to be held on March 23, with a optional second session scheduled for April 6 or April 27. In addition, it would refer the proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission for comment. Planning and Zoning must offer their opinion on the project because of the proposed alterations to the school buildings, something the commission is required to review.

The motion carried by a vote of 6 to 3, with all six Republicans voting in favor and the three Democrats on the Council voting no.

Tennis and Parking Lot Reconstruction Passes

 

Some of the proposals that passed Monday night did so by a unanimous vote, like one to replace an aging sewer line at Town Hall before the street outside is repaved. Others, like the elementary school rebuild, received party-line votes, with the Democrats advocating a wait-and-see approach while the Republicans sought to keep the process moving.

One proposal, however, elicited a mix of individual opinions. That was a plan, previously approved by the Board of Finance, to greenlight construction of a new parking area at the high school around a new set of tennis courts, and to pay for that project from the town’s cash reserve.

During discussion, Councilor David Zoni argued that it would be more prudent from a fiscal point of view to fund the project by bonding rather than drawing on the reserve. Zoni cited a recommendation from the Government Financial Officer Association that towns should maintain a 16.67 percent emergency reserve, not just the mandatory minimum of 11 percent.

Palmieri said that whether it is paid for with cash or borrowing, a public referendum should be held on the matter. His rationale was that the Town Charter mandates a referendum for bonding projects over $1 million and that it would be more in keeping with the spirit of the Charter to allow residents to cast a collective vote on the expenditure even if no bonding was involved.

Replying to Palmieri, Council Chair Paul Chaplinsky pointed out that the Town Attorney had given his opinion that the Council’s action was consistent with the Charter. In response to Zoni, he argued that the town had a certain responsibility to use taxpayer funds to benefit taxpayers, rather than hold onto their money.

Councilor Josh Serafino spoke strongly in favor of the project, noting that, as the youngest member of the Council, he had the most immediate experience of the current parking crunch and felt that building more parking spaces was the best way to tackle it.

Councilor Jim Morelli then questioned how necessary the parking project really was, given that there might be other solutions, and expressed a preference for a public hearing or even a referendum on it. He noted that the project had been labeled the ‘High School Safety Project' on the agenda, but that no specifics had been offered on accidents caused by on-street parking around the high school.

Shortly before the vote was cast, Councilor Tony Morrison pointed out that while it may make sense to move forward with the project and pay for it from the cash reserve, this decision would leave little room to undertake any new capital projects in the next two or three years that could be paid for in this way.

Morrison also reiterated a point that came up earlier in the discussion, which is that drawing down $4.5 million from the cash reserve would deprive the town of $139,000 per year in interest income, thus further exacerbating the looming budget crunch.

The final vote was 5 to 4 in favor of the move, with Morelli joining the Democrats in voting no.

Solar Parking Canopies at Police Department and High School

The Council also voted 6 to 3 for the town to sign a contract with solar-energy firm Greenskies to construct parking canopies equipped with solar panels at the Southington Police Department Headquarters and in the parking lot at the high school.

This arrangement would resemble a popular form of residential rooftop solar in that the town would not be required to cover the cost of installation and maintenance for the panels. Instead, the company would make a profit from the energy that the panels generate. The town would also see a significant reduction in the electric bills for the high school and the police station. It was estimated that on sunny days, the canopies would take care of 100% of the police station’s electricity needs, while the high school would save about $200,000 per year on its electric bill.

A secondary benefit of the canopies is that they would offer vehicles parked under them substantial protection from the elements.

The main objection to the proposal was made by Palmieri, who expressed discomfort with the fact that the energy consultant had not yet verified whether the presence of the canopies would create any problems for snow removal from the high school lot.

Slide showing the high school parking lot. Areas marked in blue would have solar parking canopies.

This was not the only solar energy project the Council considered on Monday. Robert Ives from RPI Development came to the podium to urge the Council to take advantage of a ‘free money’ arrangement involving solar energy. The proposal did not involve the town building solar capacity for itself. Instead, this would be a ‘paper’ deal in which the town would assign its usage of the Eversource grid to a firm, Tritec Americas, that would then bundle it with usage from other towns in a way that would allow it to make a successful bid for a solar farm. If and when this solar farm was built, the town would receive a check for $1.3 million.

Council members were not persuaded by the proposal, which was cast in highly abstract terms, and moved to table it until they could learn more.

Sewer Billing Cycle Change

The Council also voted unanimously to approve a recommendation from the Sewer Committee to change the billing cycle for municipal sewer bills from quarterly to twice a year.

Morrison, the Sewer Committee Chair, said that the change had been recommended by the new head of billing and collections, Halaree Monnerat, who had extensive experience with municipal billing systems in other towns. The switch would cut paperwork and mailing expenses by 50% and free up department employees. Those employees could then devote more of their time to collecting on past-due accounts – a growing problem, with bills that are 60 days or more past due now amounting to $1.2 million.

The Sewer Department is also switching its billing system from MUNIS to Gemini Gems, which is currently used by the Tax Department.

Three Bridges Over I-84 To Be Replaced Starting In 2028

Posters from the presentation on the I-84 bridges. PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTOS

A team of representatives from the engineering consultancy HNTB attended last Wednesday’s meeting of the Public Works Committee in order to preview the State DOT’s plans for replacing three bridges that cross Interstate 84 on the west side of town – the Jude Lane bridge, the West Street bridge, and the Curtiss Street bridge.

Projects Manager Stephen Heizman and his team briefly described the inadequacies of the old bridges, which were all constructed in 1963 and are now 63 years old. They also sketched out the improved features of the new ones, and the project’s schedule.

The Jude Lane bridge, which is officially known as the State Trooper First Class Aaron M. Pelletier Memorial Bridge, was last rehabilitated in 1994. Its deck or driving surface is rated ‘good’, its superstructure ‘fair’, and its substructure, ‘satisfactory’. The new bridge will resemble the old one but feature an improved sight line that will make it safer for drivers exiting the nearby parking lot of Chris Cote’s Golf Shop.

During construction the bridge will remain open but with one-lane alternating traffic, as the structure gets replaced one lane at a time. The signs which designate it as the Pelletier Memorial Bridge will be preserved and attached to the new structure. A 6” Eversource gas main running under the bridge will also be replaced.

Sign from the September 4 dedication of the Jude Lane bridge.

The Curtiss Street bridge is in the worst condition of the three, with its three components receiving grades of ‘poor’, ‘fair,’ and ‘satisfactory’. The new bridge is expected to have a minimal lifetime of 75 years and feature improved drainage. A 12” water main connected to the bridge will also be replaced.

The large West Street bridge, which was last rehabbed in 1990, is currently rated ‘fair’, ‘fair,’ and ‘fair’ in the three categories. It poses the greatest engineering challenge, given the length of the span, its width – four lanes – and the number of cars and trucks that traverse it every day.

The new bridge for West Street will resemble the old one but with the addition of sidewalks and a widening of the intersection with Hart Street. According to the presentation, four lanes of travel will be kept open throughout the period of construction, but the exact plan for doing so has yet to be decided.

Project Schedule and Budget

An RFP or Request for Proposal will be issued by the state in February of 2027. Three proposals for implementing the project will be evaluated by a DOT committee that will score them based on three criteria: quality, price, and technical approach. This approach, which is called Design-Build, is designed to reward the proposal that provides the best value rather than the lowest cost. The winner will then be awarded a contract in November of that year.

In the winter and spring of 2027/28, the design will be finalized and the site readied for construction. Actual construction is expected to start in the summer of 2028. No timeline was given for completion of the individual bridges, but the target date for completion of the entire project is spring of 2031, which means a construction period of nearly three years.

The cost of construction is expected to range anywhere from $60 to $90 million. Federal funds will cover 80% of the cost, while state funds will cover the remaining 20%.

State Shows Off Redo Of Rt. 10 & 322 Crossing – With No Bridge

Future layout of the Route 10/Route 322 intersection. SCREENSHOT FROM CT DOT VIDEO

Anyone who travels through the south end of Southington will be familiar with the unusual way that Route 10 intersects Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike. Briefly acting more like an interstate highway than a state road, Route 10 southbound makes a bend to the left, crosses Meriden-Waterbury on a bridge, then traverses the Ten Mile River on a second bridge before turning into a straight and level thoroughfare headed towards Cheshire. To get from Route 10 south onto Route 322, drivers must take a steep off-ramp that hits 322 very close to its intersection with Old Turnpike Road. As a result of the way these three roads meet, taking a left turn anywhere in this area can be confusing, slow, and stressful.

If these were the only problems with the Route 10/Route 322 intersection, it is possible that the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation would not have attempted to redo these roads that it is responsible for. However, the bridge over 322 is approaching the end of its serviceable lifetime, with a low clearance that prevents some oversized vehicles from using it. In addition, the two bridges over the Ten Mile River are aging and do not let enough water pass through during heavy storms – this stretch of 322 lies within the river’s 100-year floodplain. These are the specific issues that have put the intersection on the state’s radar, and that it intends to address once work starts on the project in the summer of 2028.

Plans to replace the bridges and reconnect the intersection have been in development for over a decade, with the last public forum being held in 2022. At last week’s meeting of Southington’s Public Works Committee, Town Engineer David Nourse played a short video the town recently received from the DOT which clearly lays out two alternative fixes and explains why the second one has been chosen for implementation.

The first, rejected alternative is labeled ‘Bridge Replacement’. In this scenario, the two Eight Mile River bridges and the bridge over 322 would all be demolished and rebuilt. In order to raise 322 out of the flood plain and elevate the Route 10 bridge's clearance, the new bridge would have to be some 7.5’ higher than the current one. That in turn would require earth to be piled up throughout the Norton Street area, as well as the construction of a 400’-long retaining wall. It would also leave the current traffic pattern largely unchanged.

The second alternative is called ‘At-Grade Intersection’. This plan would do away with the bridge over 322 and instead have Route 10 meet Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike by coming down to it, thus allowing the ‘offramp’ to be eliminated. The two bridges over the river would be also rebuilt, and new turn lanes, sidewalks, and signals installed throughout.

The DOT video explains why the second alternative is the one the state plans to implement. Work on it will be completed in seven phases, each one to three weeks long, to ensure that traffic can continue to pass through the area, though with the occasional detour. The total cost for the project is currently estimated at $9.2 million, which will be covered by the state.

The video can be viewed below. Note that the computer-generated narrator pronounces ‘Route’ as ‘rowt’ rather than the traditional New England 'root.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPYxAl0IO5s